Tell Zimbabwean Politician: Stop Spreading Lies About HIV

Morgan Femai, a Zimbabwean politician, has been spreading harmful, misleading misinformation about HIV.

While talking at an HIV awareness workshop, he said that the government should create a law that forces women to keep their heads shaved. He said that the spread of HIV can be stopped if women shave their heads, stop bathing, and try to make themselves unattractive because it's hard for men to "resist attractive women".

He also suggested female circumcision -- an extremely dangerous practice.

These suggestions on how to fight the spread of HIV are not only harmful, misleading, and dangerous, but they take attention away from real ways to prevent HIV -- practicing safe sex by using condoms, regularly getting tested for HIV, and being aware of how HIV is transmitted.

Please tell Morgan Femai that he must rescind this harmful misinformation immediately.

I am writing to ask you to rescind your statements about the best ways to prevent the spread of HIV. Not only is this misleading, harmful, and dangerous, but it takes away the focus from proven ways to stop HIV -- practicing safe sex, regularly getting tested, and raising awareness about how one gets HIV. This is wrong and it needs to stop.